1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a travel time obtaining system, a local map data server, a travel time obtaining server, control methods thereof, and a recording medium, more particularly, to a travel time obtaining system, a local map data server, a travel time obtaining server, and control methods thereof which are suitable for managing travel time information around destination location or starting location and wide area travel time information separately, and a recording medium storing a program which realizes the above.
2. Description of the Related Art
Routing devices for interconnecting terminal and computer networks such as the Internet have been provided conventionally. Those routing devices include dial-up servers or dial-up routers in a case where interconnection between the terminals and the routing device uses PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). In a case where the terminals and the routing device are wired by, for example, Ethernet connection (including wireless connection), those routing devices are called gateway.
It has been known that ISP (Internet Service Provider) is a business entity which provides users of the terminals with the right to use the routing devices of the ISP thus the users are allowed to connect the Internet The computer networks such as the Internet include ASP (Application Service Providers) which provides the users of the terminals with services.
The users connects the Internet via the ISP and receives services from the ASP through a browser for WWW (World Wide Web). The service contents provided by the ASP may be not only image data sound data, and search results, but also map data.
A map data ASP owns a server to manage map data. The server accept requests from the users, and replies to them. The server also stores travel time data of various sections.
Conventionally, the map data ASP manages all sets of the travel time data in order to obtain travel time of a section based on the map data
New comers join the ISP business and carry out various RandD activities as they are interested in WWW in these days.
However, since the conventional map data ASP manages all sets of travel time data, the map data providing business has difficulties in providing accurate travel time data That is, travel time varies in accordance with various conditions. For example, if a user requests travel time to a golf course, a famous place, a sightseeing spot, etc., it may take longer or shorter time to get to there than the travel time obtained by the map data ASP, because conditions including a traffic jam, a traffic restriction, etc. depend on seasons, day, or time.
It has been required a system which can manage data corresponding to various conditions at everywhere.
It is an object to provide a travel time obtaining system, a local map data server, a travel time obtaining server, control methods thereof, and a recording medium storing a program which realizes the above, to overcome the above described problem.
To achieve the above object, the invention will now be disclosed in accordance with the principle of the present invention.
A travel time obtaining system according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a wide area map data server, and a plurality of local map data servers, a travel time obtaining server, and a terminal, which are being connected to each other via a computer network.
The wide area map data server: accepts an enquiry indicating a nearby point and a via point; and responds to the accepted enquiry by transmitting information representing travel time between the nearby point and the via point if the information is registered on the wide area map data server.
Each of the plurality of the local map data servers: accepts an enquiry indicating destination; and responds to the accepted enquiry by transmitting information representing the via point and travel time between the via point and the destination, if information representing the destination, the via point registered on the wide area map data server, and travel time between the via point and the destination is registered on the local map data server concerned.
The travel time obtaining server: accepts an enquiry indicating a nearby point and destination; selects one of the plurality of the local map data server, on which the destination is registered; transmits an enquiry indicating the destination to the selected local map data server, to obtain information representing a via point and travel time between the via point and the destination; transmits an enquiry indicating the nearby point and the via point to the wide area map data server, to obtain information representing travel time between the nearby point and the via point; and responds to the accepted enquiry by transmitting information representing the sum of the obtained travel times between the nearby point and the via point and between the via point and the destination, as travel time between the nearby point and the destination.
The terminal: transmits an enquiry indicating a nearby point and destination to the travel time obtaining server, and obtains information representing travel time between the nearby point and the destination from the travel time obtaining server.
The travel time obtaining system according the present invention may further comprise a connection authenticator being connected to the computer network,
In this case, the connection authenticator may accept a connection request from the terminal, and establishes connection between the terminal and the computer network if the connection authenticator authenticates the terminal which sent the connection request
In the travel time obtaining system according to the present invention, any one of the plurality of the local map data servers may act as the connection authenticator.
In this case, the local map data server acting as the connection authenticator may accepts a request for adding information to registration, editing the registration, or deleting the registration, which indicates destination, a via point, and travel time between the destination and via point, from the authenticated terminal, and modify the registration of the destination, the via point, and the travel time between the destination and the via point indicated by the request, by adding information to the registration, editing the registration, or deleting the registration.
In the travel time obtaining server according to the present invention, the connection authenticator may accept an enquiry indicating a starting point and destination from the authenticated terminal. If the starting point, the nearby point registered on the wide area map data server, and travel time between the starting point and the nearby point are registered on the connection authenticator, the connection authenticator may trasmit an enquiry indicating the nearby point and the destination to the travel time obtaining server, to obtain travel time between the nearby point and the destination, and respond to the accepted enquiry by transmitting information representing the sum of the registered travel time between the starting point and the nearby point and the obtained travel time between the nearby point and the destination, as travel time between the stating point and the destination.
In the travel time obtaining system according to the present invention, the connection authenticator may further transmit information representing the registered travel time between the starting point and the nearby point to the travel time obtaining server, and ask the travel time obtaining server to calculate the sum of the registered travel time between the starting point and the nearby point and the obtained travel time between the nearby point and the destination, and to respond to the terminal by transmitting information representing the sum of the travel times as travel time between the starting point and the destination to the terminal.
In the travel time obtaining system according to the present invention, the connection authenticator may comprise a user name receiver, an authentication character string generator/transmitter, a password string receiver, and a rule memory.
The user name receiver receives information representing a user name from the terminal.
The authentication character string generator/transmitter generates an authentication character string, and transmits information representing the authentication character string to the terminal.
The password string receiver receives information representing a password string from the terminal.
The rule memory stores rules for generating password strings based on the authentication character strings so that the rules are associated with the user names.
The terminal is authenticated when the password string received by the password string receiver is successfully generated based on the authentication character string generated by the authentication character string generator in accordance with the rule corresponding to the user name received by the user name receiver being stored in the rule memory.
A local map data server according to a second aspect of the present invention, is connected to a wide area map data server on which via points are registered and to a travel time obtaining server via a computer network, comprises a local map data register, a destination acceptor, and an information responder.
The local map data register stores information representing destination, a via point registered on the wide area map data server, and travel time between the via point and the destination which are associated with each other.
The destination acceptor accepts an enquiry designating destination; and
The information responder responds to the accepted enquiry, if the destination is registered on the local map data register, by transmitting information representing the via point and travel time corresponding to the registered destination.
The local map data server according to the present invention may further connected to a terminal, and comprise a connection request acceptor and a communication establisher.
The connection request acceptor accepts a correction request from the terminal.
The communication establisher establishes connection between the terminal and the computer network when the terminal which transmits the connection request is authenticated.
The local map data server according to the present invention may further comprise a modification request acceptor and a registration modifier.
The modification request acceptor accepts a request for modifying registration indicating destination, a via point, and travel time between the destination and the via point by adding information to the registration, editing the registration, or deleting the registration.
The registration modifier modifies the registration of the destination, the via point, and the travel time between the destination and the via point indicated by the request, by adding information to the registration, editing the registration, or deleting the registration.
The local map data server according to the present invention may further comprise a user name receiver, an authentication character string generator/transmitter, a password string receiver, and a rule memory.
The user name receiver receives information representing a user name from the terminal.
The authentication character string generator/transmitter generates an authentication character string and transmits information representing the generated authentication character string to the terminal.
The password string receiver receives information representing a password string from the terminal.
The rule memory stores rules for generating password strings based on the authentication character strings so that the rules are associated with the user names.
The terminal is authenticated when the password string received by the password string receiver is successfully generated based on the authentication character string generated by the authentication character string generator in accordance with the rule corresponding to the user name received by the user name receiver being stored in the rule memory.
A travel time obtaining server according to a third aspect of the present invention is connected to a wide area map data server, a plurality of local map data server, and a terminal via a computer network, comprises an enquiry acceptor, a selector, a local map data obtainer, a wide area map data obtainer, and a calculator/responder.
The enquiry acceptor accepts an enquiry indicating a nearby point and destination.
The selector selects a local map data servers on which the destination is registered from the plurality of the local map data servers.
The local map data obtainer transmits an enquiry indicating the destination to the selected local map data server to obtain information representing a via point and travel time between the via point and the destination.
The wide area map data obtainer transmits an enquiry indicating the nearby point and the via point to the wide area map data server to obtain information representing travel time between the nearby point and the via point
The calculator/responder calculates the sum of the obtained travel time between the nearby point and the via point and the travel time between the via point and the destination, and responds to the enquiry accepted by the enquiry acceptor by transmitting information representing the sum as travel time between the nearby point and the destination to the terminal.
A method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention controls a local map data server which is connected to a wide area map data server on which via points are registered and a travel time obtaining server via a computer network, which comprises a local map data register which stores information representing destination, a via point registered on the wide area map data server, travel time between the via point and the destination which are associated with each other, comprises the steps of
accepting an enquiry indicating destination; and
if the destination is registered on the local map data register, responding to the enquiry by transmitting information representing a via point and travel time corresponding to the registered destination.
The method of controlling the local map data server according to the present invention may further comprise the steps of: accepting a connection request from a terminal; and if the terminal which send the connection request is authenticated, establishing connection between the terminal and the computer network.
The method of controlling the local map data server according to the present invention may further comprise the steps of: accepting a request for modifying registration by adding the information, editing the registration, or deleting the registration with indicating destination, a via point, and travel time between the destination and the via point, from the authenticated terminal; and modifying the registration of the destination, the via point, and travel time between the destination and the via point indicated by the request, by adding information to the registration, editing the registration, or deleting the registration.
In the method of controlling the local map data server according to the present invention, the local map data server may further comprise a rule memory which stores rules for generating a password string based on an authentication character string so that the rules are associated with user names respectively.
In this case the method may further comprise the steps of receiving information representing the user name from the terminal; generating the authentication character string, and transmitting information representing the generated authentication character string; and receiving information representing the password string from the terminal.
The terminal is authenticated when the password string received at the password string receiving step is successfully generated based on the authentication character string generated by the authentication character string generating step in accordance with the rule corresponding to the user name received by the user name receiving step being stored in the rule memory.
A method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention controls a travel time obtaining server which is connected to a wide area map data server, a plurality of local map data servers, and a terminal via a computer network.
The method comprises the steps of accepting an enquiry indicating a nearby point and destination from the terminal; selecting a local map data server on which the destination is registered from the plurality of the local map data servers; transmitting an enquiry indicating the destination to the selected local map data server to obtain information representing a via point and travel time between the via point and the destination; and responding to the enquiry accepted at the enquiry accepting step by transmitting information representing the sum of the obtained travel time between the nearby point and the via point and travel time between the via point and the destination, to the terminal as information representing travel time between the nearby point and the destination.
A program which controls a computer connected to a computer network, to function as the local map data server or the travel time obtaining server according to the present invention may be stored in a computer readable recording medium such as a compact disc, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a digital versatile disc, a magnetic tape, and a semiconductor memory.
When a CPU (Central Processing Unit), other devices or peripheral devices of the computer execute(s) the program stored in the recording medium according to the present invention, the computer functions as the local map data server or the travel time obtaining server according to the present invention.
The recording medium storing the program according to the present invention may be distributed or merchandized without bundling in the computer. Or, the program stored in the recording medium may be distributed via a computer network, and the distributed program may be stored on other recording medium.